


The Case of the Missing Clothes

by Carerra_os



Series: Harringrove Tumblr Stories [26]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Billy Hargrove Has a Crush on Steve Harrington, Billy Hargrove has a Green Thumb, Getting Together, M/M, Steve Harrington Has a Crush on Billy Hargrove
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-27
Updated: 2020-07-27
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:40:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25547590
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Carerra_os/pseuds/Carerra_os
Summary: Steve's clothes have been going missing, he finally finds where they've all been going.-Billy spares him a glance, most of his focus on the fight as Steve leans over stealing a fry from the little tray sitting on the seat next to Billy, he darts away before Billy can slap at him with a distracted hand. “I have to borrow a shirt, all of mine are dirty or fucking missing. That cool?” Billy hums distractedly, brain barely registering the interruption and Steve takes it as a ‘sure go ahead’ and makes a beeline for Billy’s bedroom.
Relationships: Billy Hargrove/Steve Harrington
Series: Harringrove Tumblr Stories [26]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1673560
Comments: 6
Kudos: 158





	The Case of the Missing Clothes

**Author's Note:**

> #78 “That’s my shirt. So is that..wait?”

**The Case of the Missing Clothes**

Steve is digging through his closet, his oddly bare closet, looking for a specific shirt. He does not know where all of his shirts keep going, but more and more have gone missing over the last few weeks and Steve cannot figure out who is responsible. It started with the shirts he wears out to bars or clubs, and now he cannot find half of the sweaters and shirts he wears to class. All that is left in his closet is gym shirts and summer linen shirts and it is way too cold out for those. He could layer with a sweater and make due but he has not done laundry yet this week and the only sweaters he has left are currently in the laundry pile or the ones he wears to clean the apartment.

Steve glances at the time, he is already late meeting Jonathan and Nancy at the bar across town, desperate times call for desperate measures. Steve slides out to the living room where Billy is seated on their little second hand couch watching some sporting match, beer between his thick thighs, chest on display in his low cut muscle tank, as always despite the fact that it is kind of cold in their shitty little apartment. If someone had told Steve he was going to end up rooming with Billy Hargrove just two years ago he would have scoffed at them. Then Billy had been possessed, nearly died, and kind of got over his bullshit. He is still an asshole but Steve often thinks of him as his asshole now and wishes they were more than just roommates. 

Billy spares him a glance, most of his focus on the fight as Steve leans over stealing a fry from the little tray sitting on the seat next to Billy, he darts away before Billy can slap at him with a distracted hand. “I have to borrow a shirt, all of mine are dirty or fucking missing. That cool?” Billy hums distractedly, brain barely registering the interruption and Steve takes it as a ‘sure go ahead’ and makes a beeline for Billy’s bedroom.

Steve does not usually go into Billy’s room, Billy gets weird about his space at times and it is easier to just let Billy come and take up space wherever he is when he wants. Billy actually spends a lot of his time outside of his own bedroom, he will come and find Steve and invade his room when he is in a mood and wants company. Usually bullies his way onto Steve's too small bed, their shoulders pressed tight as they watch something mindless on one of their laptops. It is times like those that Steve finds it far too easy to forget that they are not more than friends.

Steve likes Billy’s room despite how messy it is, it is full of plants, plants that Billy had kept all contained to his own room for the first couple of months until he got more comfortable sharing space with Steve. Now their entire apartment is full of plants. Steve has always been shit with plants, he always forgets to water them, or over waters them, or puts them in the wrong spot. Dustin still has not forgiven him for the cactus Steve had been keeping on a chair. Everyone else found Dustin’s thorn filled ass funny. Steve had barely contained his laughter while trying to remove all of the thorns with tweezers. 

Billy is really, really good with plants though, more than makes up for Steve’s incompetence. He has even put some in Steve's room, got him one for his birthday even, a really pretty thing that blooms on and off all the time. Steve cannot help smiling every time he sees it. The little heart shaped leaves making him feel stupidly happy and he constantly has to remind himself that it does not mean anything, that Billy only picked that plant because it is hard to kill, he would have gotten Steve a cactus but Billy did not want to end up sitting on it like Dustin had.

The majority of the plants still reside in Billy’s room, all of the surfaces are covered in plants, so it is always real green and pretty in here, even if Billy’s dirty clothes and empty beer cans litter the floor because Billy is still a slob and only cleans them out on trash day. Steve runs his fingers over the spider plant near the door, before heading for the closet, knowing all he will find in the drawers are wrinkled t-shirts and sweats.

Steve digs around in Billy’s closet for a decent shirt that will not drown him. Billy is not even that much bigger than him really, Steve is just lean, but all of his clothes make Steve feel small. Anytime Billy teases him about it Steve just insists that it is because his own muscles have some modesty, that they do not have to be the center of attention. Billy always tips his head back and laughs, and Steve needs to not think about that right now, he needs a shirt, needs to go find someone else to focus his attention on before he ruins everything.

The light blue button up Steve grabs for, fighting to get it off of the hanger, slips right off and through Steve's fingers hitting the ground. No it hits a pile of clothes, Steve frowns, bending down. These are not Billy's clothes,  **“That’s my shirt. So is that one… wait?”** it takes a minute before he really starts to register what he is seeing. “WHAT THE FUCK BILLY!" Steve shouts.

"What? Pretty Boy what’s wrong, where are you?" Billy asks sounding confused and concerned with a clatter from the living room .

"In your room!" That is definitely the button up he was looking for last week, and the sweat he was desperately trying to find last night before Billy told him to stop bitching and pulled his hoody off and tossed it at Steve.

"Shit" Billy curses standing in the doorway half a minute later.

"I repeat what the fuck Billy?" Steve asks, gesturing to his pile of clothes in Billy's closet on the floor wrinkling, Billy knows how Steve feels about wrinkly clothes.

Billy has a wily look in his eyes, he looks like he might make a break for it, disappear for a while, only Steve is currently occupying the room he usually retreats to. Billy looks at him for a long moment with indecision before he settles, goes lax, arms crossing over his chest as he leans against the door frame smirking. Steve narrows his eyes, and mentally scolds himself for the heat he suddenly feels burning in his stomach.

“You can’t wear them anymore.” Billy says tone firm and a little teasing, posture remaining relaxed.

“What? Why not?” Steve blinks lips pursed, hands going to his hips. Billy better have a good reason, a really good one. Steve cannot believe Billy has been stealing his clothes for months now, slowly at first a shirt here a shirt there, and then more and more bold with his thefts. Steve thought he was losing his mind at one point and Billy just kept pretending like he did not know anything about it.

“Too many people try and hit on you when you do.” Steve scoffs, confusion only growing. Since when does Billy care about people hitting on him, he is not even right, no one hits on Steve anymore. He has literally sat on the couch feet tucked under Billy's thigh lamenting about it and getting drunk, he did that just last weekend.

“What are you talking about, no one has hit on me in like a year.” Steve huffs, he has been feeling really down about it too, which Billy knows because of all the drunk lamenting Steve does. The one person he tried to hit on, thought he did alright with, she had shown interest so he even gave her his number but she never called.

“I have and following you around to make sure that no one else does, has been cutting into all of my down time. You don’t have to go to the library four times a week.” Billy practically snarls tension seeping into his body as he moves off of the door frame, taking a step closer to Steve.

“Yes I do that's where we do our study groups… wait, what are you saying?” Steve has to be hallucinating, he cannot have heard Billy right and he sounds jealous, Billy is never jealous of anyone. Certainly not of anyone Steve talks to, why would he be. 

“I’m saying you need to stay home more, with me.” Billy marches forward pressing right into Steve’s space till he is backed up against the wall next to the closet. "You belong with me." Steve's heart is thudding loud in his ears as Billy's hands slide over his hips, thumb pressing into bare skin, fingers curling and holding tight. "No one should be hitting on you but me." 

Steve has to be dreaming right, right? He feels a little faint with all of the hope filling him, burning up through him leaving him light headed. The only thing keeping him in the here and now is the feel of Billy's rough palms curled over his hip bones, thumbs rubbing in small circles. Steve is having a hard time catching his breath. “Wha?” He asks dumbly, it cannot be helped, most of his blood went south as soon as Billy started touching him.

“You really need me to spell it out more than that?” Billy asks, he sounds angry, but he remains gentle leaning close, nose bumping against the skin of Steve’s cheek.

Steve sucks in a breath, nodding before working his mouth. “Yeah, yes.” Billy huffs against his cheek, one palm sliding up Steve’s spine to curl around his neck before Billy’s mouth is on his. Steve presses into it, hands coming up and curling around Billy’s bare shoulders, fingertips just under the sleeves of his muscle tank. Billy turns them, mouth never leaving Steve’s as he walks him back toward the bed, kiss only breaking when Steve’s knees hit the edge and Billy pushes him down.

“That clear enough for you pretty boy?” Billy asks, tone teasing as he looks down at Steve with heat that burns right through him. Steve just nods and makes grabby hands at Billy, he wants more, he wants whatever Billy will give him. Billy chuckles before crashing down onto Steve, hands sliding over skin as their mouths meet. 

The phone rings a few times while they make out heavily on Billy’s bed, things going tender after a while as they press close, unhurried as they just explored. Steve knows it is probably Nancy or Jonathan calling from the bar worried about him being late but Billy’s mouth is too tempting to abandon. Not that Billy is about to let him up, anytime the phone rings he rolls back on top of Steve keeping him pinned to the bed, Steve is in no way complaining, even if he is going to get shit from his friends later. 

"I still want my clothes back." Steve murmurs, laying on his side facing Billy, fingers trailing over tan skin as their mouths break apart for air, Billy’s mouth trailing down the column of Steve’s neck, tongue tracing each mole he comes across. 

"Just wear mine." Heat pools in Steve’s stomach at the thought, as Billy scrapes his teeth right under his ears, hands going tight.

Steve is definitely going to steal Billy’s clothes to wear because it makes his stomach practically boil thinking about walking around in Billy’s worn band shirts and his leather jacket, but he is not willing to do that all of the time. “Billy.” Billy huffs, a shiver raking through Steve as hot air and cooling spit meet on his skin. 

"Fine, you can have your stupid pretty clothes back." Billy grumbles mouth sucking at Steve’s neck.

"Stop it you're going to leave a mark." Steve complains, groaning and clutching at Billy as he adds teeth to the mix. 

"That's the point, gotta let people know you're taken so they'll stop hitting on you." Billy’s mouth goes right back to the same spot as Steve laughs another spike of heat shooting through him. He has questions, like a lot of them, about how long Billy has been following him around scaring people off, why he thought stealing Steve’s clothes was the answer, but those can wait, for now Steve is going to just enjoy the feel of Billy pressing even closer.

**-end**

**Author's Note:**

> https://ghostofjellyfishforgotten.tumblr.com/


End file.
